PRESS RELEASE

CAPUCAS COFFEE ACADEMY: THE FIRST PERMANENT FORMATION SCHOOL IN A PRODUCING

COUNTRY On January 30, 2017, Umami Area is going to inaugurate the first permanent formation school in a producing country, called Capucas Coffee Academy. Developed in collaboration with SCAE, the school will host the Coffee Campus mainly designed for trainings to bartenders and local coffee producers. The Florentine association Umami Area strengthens its relations with Honduras, becoming the promoter of the first permanent Coffee school of the country. The school is based on the modules of the SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe) Coffee Diploma System, shaped both for local and international participants. The project started two years ago, during the Umami Coffee Camps and the formation courses held in the region of Copan. The courses were designed mainly for local bartenders and employees of COCAFCAL cooperative. Taking stock of the great potentialities of the region, Umami Area involved SCA in order to finance the purchase of the necessary equipment for the classes (barista, filter coffee, sensory analysis, roasting and green coffee quality control courses). SCA also provided the textbooks for the technical library of the academy. The Capucas Coffee Academy is part of the most important project developed by the cooperative COCAFCAL, whose goal is to offer, on site, an academic education to the youth of the community through the construction of a new building, part of the University of San Pedro Sula. The first space will be inaugurated on January 30, 2017 and will host the SCAE training courses (from January 28, 2017), on a monthly basis, which will involve the employees of the cooperative and the coffee farmers, members of the cooperative. On the same day the foundation stone for the build-up of the academy will be laid. The latter will cover an area of 600 square meters, adjacent to the University. The building consists of two floors, with rooms devoted to the single modules of the CDS, the administration offices and the coffee quality control labs.

The cooperation with Galeano Company and the Umami Area Plantation Project In 2016 Umami Area has signed a collaboration agreement with Galeano company, a well-known fashion brands at national level (http://galeanohonduras.com). Recently, the company has invested in the opening of two specialty cafes. The company enjoys widespread appeal in the country: offering quality coffee produced in Marcala and available in different beverages (espresso, macchiato, cappuccino and filter) and in different methods (Chemex, hario V60, siphon). In November 2016 the building of IHCAFE hosted for the first time the event Umami Barista Camp, during which dozens of bartenders have been trained according to the SCA Coffee Diploma System. Daniel Galeano, a partner of Umami Area and the owner and founder of the family company Galeano Café, talks about the project enthusiastically: "for me it was a great challenge to open two coffee shops dedicated to quality coffee in a country where this culture just began to develop; connecting with the professionals of Umami Area is a reason to believe in the project and take advantage of the international trainers for the training of our 15 employees. The signing of our agreement with Umami Area will allow the company to continue the training of our employees and to organize in January 2017 a second round here in the capital. " Another successful partnership is that between Umami Area and COCAFCAL. The agreement has been signed two years ago, when the Florentine association organized for the first time two training camps on coffee in Capucas plantations, attended by fifty Italian operators (http://mycapucascoffee.coop). Thus, thee fourth edition of Umami Coffee Camp is going to be an opportunity for the signing of an agreement between two realities: the birth of Capucas Coffee Academy and the purchase of the coffee plantation in Capucas. "The project of Umami Area plantation - says Andrej Godina - foresees the production of quality coffee made from a crop of selective picking, exploitation of hydroelectric power for the needs of the local community and the creation of a permanent school for the farmers, members of the cooperative". Umami Area next events in Honduras will be on January and August 2017. What is Umami Area? Umami Area is a cultural association that gathers experts and lovers of food & beverage sensory. Umami is a portal of taste and senses aiming at spreading cultural education on tasting. Thus, it is an association that mainly carries out training on Specialty Coffees for all players in the world of coffee. It promotes various events including "I drink quality coffee", "Umami Barista Camp", "Umami Coffee Camp". The Association's mission is to dispel the culture of "fast food" in favor of a culture that values the senses, simple recipes and conviviality. Contatti: email info@umamiarea.com Francesca Surano mob. +39 389 1038218